Mr. Jones goes to Washington this week.

Kenny Jones, the principal of Parkside Elementary School, will be honored at an awards banquet Friday at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., as part of a two-day program.

Jones is among 61 outstanding elementary and middle school principals from across the nation and abroad who were named a 2013 National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).

NAESP Executive Director Gail Connelly commended the honorees for being exemplars of successful school leadership.

“Only a principal can move a school from good to great, simultaneously championing children and uplifting the communities they serve,” she said.

October is a particularly fitting month to acknowledge the work of principals, as legislation has been introduced in both chambers of Congress declaring October 2013 National Principals Month.

When he was named a National Distinguished Principal earlier this year, Jones stressed that it is not an individual honor.

“This award isn’t about me. I can only do what I can do because you are who you are,” he told Parkside students and staff in January. “This goes for the teachers, you as students, your moms, your dads, everybody.”

He called the honor “another banner for Parkside.” The school also was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education last year.